Male 17 Year Old – Adult Rugby Age Banding

Medical research into boys' rugby strongly indicates that there is an increased risk of serious injury when U18 players play adult rugby.

It is Scottish Rugby’s policy that the age at which any player is permitted to play adult rugby is 18 years old. Players must only play contact rugby with players of their own age grade unless the player has been given permission by Scottish Rugby to play outside it.

An U18 player’s age grade is determined by whether they were born on or between 1 September – 31 August at the beginning of each season. That age grade applies for the whole season. National and regional representation cut off dates are 1 January.

Application Procedures

The application form for 17-year-old players to apply to play adult rugby can be found below:

Application form for 17 year old into Adult for season 23/24

Please note that the player’s SCRUMS ID number must be submitted with the form so that the players playing history can be reviewed when considering the application.

As part of the application, video evidence must be supplied by the coach of the player’s tackle, overhead squat and press-up via a YouTube link (sent in with the application form). The below video demonstrates each of these activities.

Applications must be sent complete with all supporting documentation and video link, and received by the below deadlines. If an application falls beyond a window deadline, it will be reviewed at the following Panel review. Please contact [email protected] for the remaining Panel dates this season.

The below video summarises the application process:

Prerequisites

Players must complete the World Rugby online Rugby Ready and have a certificate from within the last 2 years.

Pre-Application Assessments

Players must complete the following pre-application assessments with a coach that has achieved (as a minimum) the UKCC Level 2: Coaching Youth & Adult Rugby (or equivalent). These assessments are demonstrated in the video below and also available on Scottish Rugby Training Hub, Hive.

Player Registration on SCRUMS

As part of the clearance process the player’s parents must register them on SCRUMS as this allows us to maintain details of the player and enables the club to add the player to a match team sheet. For younger players a parent or guardian’s input is required as part of the registration process.

Download guidance for parents on registering a youth player

Front Row Players

Front row players applying to play adult rugby must complete the Male U18 into Adult Front Row Form, supplying as much detail as possible about their front row experience. Front row players are also required to complete a specialist neck strength test carried out by a Scottish Rugby designated practitioner.

Application form for Front Row Players for season 23/24.